Reyes, Bonifacio brings loads of speed to Jays

Blue Jays’ Emilio Bonifacio holds up two fingers after stretching a single into a double in the bottom of the sixth inning of last night’s game at the Rogers Centre. Homers carried the night, but the speed of Bonifacio and Jose Reyes also helped. (Jack Boland/Toronto Sun)

Three games into the season, the Blue Jays finally stole their first base of the season on Thursday night at the Rogers Centre.

Jose Reyes, to the surprise of no one, did the honours in the fifth inning with the Jays and the Cleveland Indians locked in a 3-3 tie. What is surprising is that the three-time National League thefts leader waited so long to swipe his first as a Jay.

The steal came on the 11th pitch he saw while standing on first base in this three-game series.

The best example of the new speed in the Jays’ lineup this season came in the sixth inning when Emilio Bonifacio turned a routine single to centre fielder Michael Bourn into a double — despite stumbling coming out of the batter’s box.

“I saw the single to centre, looked down and next thing I knew he was sliding into second,” said Jays pitcher Brandon Morrow, the losing pitcher on Wednesday night. “I blinked.”

“The element of speed causes chaos,” said Jays third baseman Mark DeRosa. “Like, when they have Bourn on, or like my error on Drew Stubbs who has a reputation for getting down the line.

“Reyes scoring that 10th run from second base was huge.”

Reyes was on second in the eighth, when Bautista grounded to short and beat out a the attempted double play landing on the first-base bag, injuring his right ankle and coming out of the game.

“I tweaked it a little,” Bautista told reporters. “I don’t think it’s serious. We’ll see how it is when I wake up, I don’t expect to miss any games.”

Game thoughts

Bautista homered in the first inning off Brett Myers, his second in as many nights. J.P. Arencibia hit two, Edwin Encarnacion added a three-run bomb in the fifth and Colby Rasmus went deep in the sixth.

“Edwin’s homer was the key hit of the game,” said Bautista. “Tonight was an example of what we can do running the bases, swinging the bats.” ... Reyes went in head-first going in head first. He banged his noggin against the shin of Asdrubal Cabrera, was shook up but stayed in the game ... Third baseman Brett Lawrie has been missed. Maicer Izturis misplayed a ball in each of the first two games and on Thursday, DeRosa had a clank. Jays fans should not be concerned with one regular out of the lineup. Look at the Yankees without Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez ... With so many new players there is a tendency to want to impress right away. The Jays didn’t the first two against the Indians, but in the finale, they showed speed on the bases. And their home run trots — five in all — weren’t bad either.

WELCOME BACK, FRED

Fred McGriff, who played parts of five seasons with the Jays, plus four in the minors, is wearing a Blue Jays uniform again.

The left-handed hitting first baseman who managed 493 homers in his 19-year career, is working with Jays youngsters at the Bobby Mattick Complex at extended spring training in Dunedin.

The last time we saw McGriff was Feb. 28 at Bright House Field in Clearwater — the day Roy Halladay told us: “If Josh Johnson is right, he’s another Justin Verlander.” Johnson faces the Boston Red Sox in the opener of a weekend series Friday night.

Way back then, McGriff was wearing an Atlanta Braves uniform, asking manager Fredi Gonzalez what innings the manager wanted him to coach on the bases.

McGriff is now on the Jays’ payroll working with young hitters.

That Cooperstown Hall of Fame ballot is gaining more and more Jays employees, now three of the top 13 vote-getters on January ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America:

n Jays broadcaster Jack Morris was second behind Craig Biggio at 67.7%, shy of the required 75%, 42 votes. This December will be Morris’ 15th and final year of eligibility.

n Tim Raines, the Jays’ minor-league hitting instructor, was fifth with 52.2% of the vote in his sixth year on the ballot.

n And McGriff was 13th with 20.7% of the vote in his fourth year on the ballot.

The Jays acquired McGriff from the New York Yankees at the 1982 winter meetings in Hawaii.

The Yanks obtained reliever Dale Murray and Tom Dodd from the Jays for Dave Collins, Mike Morgan and McGriff, a throw in.

We remember Billy Madden of the New York Daily News writing: “It’s known as the Dale Murray trade today, but the Jays think eventually it will be known as the Fred McGriff deal.”

He was right.

Lighting it up

The Jays’ triple-A Buffalo Bisons opened their season with a 12-7 win over the Rochester Red Wings Thursday afternoon in front of 15,852 fans at Coca-Cola Field.

Centre-field prospect Anthony Gose had three hits, including a double, knocked in a run and scored three times.

Hall of Famer Robbie Alomar received a standing ovation. Also making the trip down the QEW were Jays president Paul Beeston — who failed again to get the nickname of the team changed to the Buffalo Beestons — general manager Alex Anthopoulos, former closer Duane Ward and vice-president Howard Starkman ... Anthony Gose had three hits, including a double, knocked in a run and scored three times ... Double-A New Hampshire and class-A Dunedin opened Thursday night, so the first win by a team in the organization was by Buffalo and manager Marty Brown ... Clayton McCullough, manager at class-A Vancouver, is with the Jays until the Canadians begin their season. Bullpen catcher Alex Andreopoulos can’t throw batting practice until late May after shoulder surgery. So, McCullough has been throwing BP to the group of Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Melky Cabrera and Colby Rasmus. “He’s a strike-throwing machine,” said Bautista, who homered in the first inning off Brett Meyers, his second in as many nights. Encarnacion hit a three-run homer in the fifth and Rasmus went deep in the sixth. “Edwin’s homer was the key hit of the game,” said Bautista. “Tonight was an example of what we can do running the bases, swinging the bats.”

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Reyes, Bonifacio brings loads of speed to Jays

Three games into the season, the Blue Jays finally stole their first base of the season on Thursday night at the Rogers Centre.

Jose Reyes, to the surprise of no one, did the honours in the fifth inning with the Jays and the Cleveland Indians locked in a 3-3 tie. What is surprising is that the three-time National League thefts leader waited so long to swipe his first as a Jay.

The steal came on the 11th pitch he saw while standing on first base in this three-game series.

The best example of the new speed in the Jays’ lineup this season came in the sixth inning when Emilio Bonifacio turned a routine single to centre fielder Michael Bourn into a double — despite stumbling coming out of the batter’s box.

“I saw the single to centre, looked down and next thing I knew he was sliding into second,” said Jays pitcher Brandon Morrow, the losing pitcher on Wednesday night. “I blinked.”